Ms Fiona Rea:

Cuidiú works really hard on its antenatal education and an informed decision is key. Yes, there is lots of education going on but breastfeeding is not promoted in the way that it should be. Certainly, over the last year with Covid, classes have been delivered online and have worked well. Obviously face-to-face classes would be better but we are trying to bridge the gaps. We need continuity of what we are telling mothers and what they see in action, which is where there is a huge gap. We are telling mums about their choices in antenatal classes yet when they arrive into maternity units to have their babies and try to breastfeed, what they are told is not the same as the information we give them and choice has been taken away from them. A lot of the time midwives do not have time to spend with mothers. I do not blame the midwives, they do a fantastic job. However, staffing and education are issues. What difference does the first bottle of top-up formula milk make to a baby? Why should we not do that? What should the first few hours of birth look like? What should the start be for a baby? Babies are not born starving. The provision of simple information would have a huge impact on the start of a baby's life and on the start of a mother's breastfeeding journey.